4. Without a spiritual community, I will be limited in my relationship with God.
(Before looking at the questions below, take a few minutes to think about this statement. Invite Jesus to speak to you about what He would like you to notice.)
What do you think about the idea that, without others, we will struggle in our relationship with God?
How could participating in loving relationships with others help us in our relationship with God?
What obstacles might keep you from being deeply connected to a few other followers of Jesus?
In our Christian culture there seems to exist an idea that we can be close to God without being close to others. We tend to see ourselves as islands: individual, self-sufficient, and independent. We are taught that needing others is a sign of weakness. Often we carry these values into our life with God. We may attend church services with others, but we protect our right to agree or disagree, engage or observe, stay or leave.
In the 6th century, St. Benedict created a religious community that required members to take a vow regarding three aspects of their lives: chastity, which served to keep the community pure; obedience, in which participants submitted themselves to the authority of their leaders; and stability, which meant that a participant promised to remain part of the community, even if conflict, boredom, or something else made them feel like leaving.
To those of us steeped in American culture these vows may seem radical. But the fruit of Benedictine communities as a result of the vows they take demonstrates the power of community to encourage and facilitate one’s relationship with God and to form one’s character.
The values and posture we bring into our relationship with others are the same values and posture that we bring into our relationship with God. If we hold ourselves separate from others and self-sufficient, we will act similarly in our relationship with God. Spiritual communities help break our sense of self-reliance and separateness. As we grow to trust others, confess our vulnerabilities to them, submit to them, and remain committed to them even when they fail or disappoint us, our character forms in many positive ways.
These emerging character qualities serve also to enrichen our relationship with God. We recognize our need for Him. We become increasingly submissive to His ways and invitations. We learn to admit our failures and faults. And we choose to remain in relationship with Him when we are tempted to check out.
Without community, this space for us to be refined and re-formed, we will be unprepared for the relationship that God desires for us and invites us to have with Him.